| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the prefixed conjunction vehayah {וְהָיָ֧ה | və-hā-yāh} ‘and it shall be’, which introduces a result clause. The paired subordinators kî {כִֽי־ | kî} establish a temporal sequence with the Nifal perfect nir’āh {נִרְאָ֛ה | nir’āh} ‘it is seen’ followed by a causal setting with nil’āh {נִלְאָ֥ה | nil’āh} ‘he becomes weary’. Moʾāv {מוֹאָ֖ב | Môʾāv} functions as the subject governing the locative phrase ʿal-habāmah {עַל־הַבָּמָ֑ה | ʿal-hab-bā-māh} ‘on the high place’. The coordinate ūbāʾ {וּבָ֧א | ū-bāʾ} ‘and he comes’ leads into a purpose clause marked by the Hitpael infinitive construct lə-hitpallēl {לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל | lə-hit-pallēl} ‘to pray’ at miqdāšô {מִקְדָּשׁ֛וֹ | miqdāšô} ‘his sanctuary’. The final clause wə-lōʾ yûkāl {וְלֹ֥א יוּכָֽל | wə-lōʾ yû-kāl} ‘and not he is able’ conveys the inevitability of failure. The English order preserves the Hebrew clause structure and the parallelism between perception, ritual action, and inability. |